Chimera of Notre-Dame de Paris

This photograph focuses on a weathered, carved stone chimera resting on the balustrade of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The figure has a feline-like face with a long beard, horns or a peaked head covering, and is resting its chin on its right hand in a contemplative pose. The textured, grey stone shows signs of erosion and organic growth. In the background, the blurred cityscape of modern Paris, including a prominent skyscraper, contrasts with the medieval-style architecture of the sculpture.

These chimeras were added to the Notre-Dame cathedral during the 19th-century restoration led by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, intended to evoke a romanticized version of the medieval Gothic imagination rather than reflecting original medieval iconographic programs.